Week Six

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, in It's Curtains, the weather changed, and with it your fortune in Dads. Discord took Salieri out - or perhaps Salieri took Discord out - and left the survivors with that much less impulse control. Nonetheless, a visit from a new friend might have provided a little bit of much-needed hope?

On Sunday morning, you'll find that the other side of the second floor has opened up - as well as the actual intended path to reach the roof garden. You can finally stop climbing up that rope every time you want to have a picnic or secret lover's rendezvous!

Outside, the weather seems to have calmed down. It's sunny again, with rather a lot of clouds. Though it's warm, the atmosphere seems very...still.]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( Be sure to submit your memory regain and your AC for this week! As always, Hester's office hours and the merch booth remain available. ))

Comments

boy's locker room

[mcfife]

[Angus remains in a haze since the morning, and nothing has brought him back to his optimal state. It's hard to fight to be the strong, dependable prince when you remember what you can become when you let your guard down.

So he's been standing in the shower for 5 minutes straight, the cold rush of water forcing him to think about something else.]

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus only overheard some of the conversation Angus had with Nana, but he knows enough to have... some idea, of what it is he's so upset about. He looks over, from where he's wringing water out of his spare uniform jacket, frowning. It feels a little awkward, intruding on him while he's in the shower, but it kind of seems like he needs it. ]

Angus? Are you, um. [ 'Okay' is not the word he's looking for, here. It's kind of hard to be okay right now, even considering what they learned yesterday. ] How are you doing, today?

[mcfife]

[That long groan can answer a lot.]

I remember killing her.

[He leans his head into the stream of water.]

It's nothing like the slaying of undead forces of evil.

[themuseabandonsyou]

... Spinel, right? The one Nana talked about.

[ Orpheus throws the spare jacket and shirt over the locker room's bench to dry and leans against the lockers, brows furrowed. ]

But, she said you were cursed, didn't she? It wasn't - you.

[mcfife]

[A nod.]

The Knife of Evil is one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe, on the same level of magic as the Hammer of Glory. To imagine that such an infection can be entirely eradicated...

[He grips his side, where no scar tissue lies. The blade is magic, after all. It leaves no physical mark. But that is where he felt a blow from Zargothrax during their battle. That must have been where it struck him.]

If I change, Orpheus, and I go too far. Promise me that you will lock me up. Kill me, if we have escaped the Wizard's clutches.

[themuseabandonsyou]

No.

[ The answer comes without even having to think about it, firm and resolute. ]

When we get out of here, we'll find a way to make sure that never happens to you again. I told you, I know some of the gods of my world. I can call in favors. If anyone can undo a curse like that, it's them.

[ He's certain of it. And even if they can't, there are so many other worlds out there, more than he's ever imagined. Surely there has to be a cure in one of them - if Angus is even still afflicted, like he suspects. ]

You're not going to hurt any of us, Angus. And you're not going to die, either.

[mcfife]

But I did just that last time. I felt nothing of its evil at the start.

[He wonders - if he had known this when in Fife, how much time would he have had? Did it act slowly in the opera house because of a similar restriction on magic? Would he only have minutes to spare? At least Fife has plenty of active volcanoes to make quick work of that.]

Once Elsa gets her magic back, then it means the Wizard has removed the magic dampers, and it will work quickly. Reverting it or slowing it - if you can perform such a feat, I will be eternally grateful. But I have to accept that I may die to keep everyone safe.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus nods, then realizes Angus probably didn't see that, separated by the shower stall as they are. ]

Right. But if the Wizard can stop it, then surely we can find someone else who can, out there. I know you said it's one of the most powerful artifacts of your universe, but with gods and narrators and who knows what else is out there - there must be something. I promise we'll stop you, if it seems like you're getting worse, but you're not going to die for this. We're all getting out of here alive.

[mcfife]

[He hopes that Orpheus is right. That Angus is wrong. That this will turn out well, and they'll find a way to bring back their friends. The SQUIP did it, so it can do it again.

He shuts off the water.]

If anything happens, find Ralathor in my home dimension. He's a hermit with incredible knowledge. If anyone understands the gods, it will be him.

...Or the Hootsman. He's a demigod now.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Ralathor or the Hootsman. [ Orpheus repeats, making sure he has the names right. ] I will. And I'll ask Mister Hermes if he can do anything for you, too, and see if I can talk to Medea about it. She's the most powerful sorceress I know.

[ He hasn't heard from her in a few years, but she'd probably be happy to see him again? ]

[mcfife]

Medea. I must remember that name. [If he is unable to go, then he will ask someone else to leave in his stead.] You know quite a lot of mages, Orpheus.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Hmm? Oh, no, Mister Hermes is one of the gods. It's mostly just Medea when it comes to people who use magic. She's really powerful, though. I've seen her turn an old ram back into a newborn lamb before, and all sorts of other things.

[ He smiles a little, thinking back on it. ]

She can be kind of scary when she's mad, but of all the people I know? If the gods can't help you, she's probably your best chance.

[mcfife]

From my experience, all sorcerers, wizards, and mages like the aura of fear they exude. Then again, they tend to throw magical missiles into the air when they're bored, so they might all be like that to a degree.

[Have you seen their robes? What normal person dressed in public like that?]

...Could she bring someone back to life?

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus laughs at the mental image of Medea hurling magic into the air out of boredom. It's not that absurd, honestly, but it is definitely a mental image. Then Angus asks his question, and Orpheus's expression drops again. ]

Ah. No, I don't think so. There's only one person who can allow the dead out of the Underworld, and that's Lord Hades, the god of that realm.

[ He sits down on the bench, looking thoughtful. ]

Eurydice and I - we convinced him to let her go. That's what she remembered, this morning. But I don't think we could do it again, even once, much less... nine more times.

[mcfife]

You did? How did you manage that? When someone dies, the only way to bring them back is through an AI or through necromantic magic, not...bargain with gods.

[But if he had to ask Hades to bring back Eurydice--]

Is she alright? Are you...? [No. He shouldn't ask. Eurydice never spoke of it, and it must have been horrible for her.] There are other gods out there. We could try it with them.

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus almost questions how an AI could bring someone back to life, before remembering what Nana said about the SQUIP and also remembering not to mention Nana outside the safety of the bathrooms. Right. Okay. ]

We're fine, now. We're going to make it out of the Underworld. But I guess getting the others back would mean... contacting the gods of their worlds' afterlives? Which might get complicated. I know Elisabeth said her world's god doesn't really talk to people that often, or maybe at all?

[mcfife]

The gods of our universes can speak with them. If they refuse to deal with mortals, they still must answer to other deities.

[Even Angus' world doesn't commune with the higher realms often; he's lucky he has the Hootsman as a bridge between the mortal and immortal realm. As long as he knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy...]

And there's whoever brought Farrah back to life.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, that's a good idea. I wouldn't have been able to convince Lord Hades to free Eurydice without Lady Persephone's help.

[ Although that probably has more to do with Persephone being Hades's wife and just about the only person in the world he listens to, than them both being gods. Still, though. ]

And there is that, too. So we might have options? Depending on how we get out, and what help we can find.

[mcfife]

Yes.

Options.

[Exactly what they need. There must be multiple ways to bring them back. If the SQUIP is still out there, they could get his help as well.]

...I should dress. [He's been standing in the cold shower stall for a while now. That's enough to have him realize just what he's doing.] What are you doing over there?

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, I was just washing my clothes. [ No one's explained the washing machine to him yet, and at this point he's too afraid to ask. ] I can go put them out to dry outside, though, if you want some privacy?

[mcfife]

...

But we have a washing machine.

[Is this an excuse for something else?]

[themuseabandonsyou]

Do we?

[ He says it like it's news to him, because it kind of is. He's taken a look at that weird storage closet, but the machines in there don't look anything like the washing machines that would've been available in his day, so he hasn't made the connection. ]

I just got in the habit of washing them here, and I'm not even sure I'd know how to use a washing machine.

[mcfife]

Yes, on the second floor. [Do they not...have them in his universe?] It's much easier to clean them there.

[There's his quest for the day. Angus dries himself off and retrieves his school uniform from his locker.]

Look, I'll show you how it works.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Oh, okay! Thanks.

[ Orpheus turns his back and leans against the lockers to give Angus some privacy while he retrieves his clothes. ]

I've never used one before. They're around, where I come from, but they're really expensive. I've only seen them in catalogs.

[ He guesses if Angus is a prince it makes sense that wouldn't be an issue for him, though. ]

[mcfife]

[Well, Angus' universe is incredibly advanced. He leads Orpheus upstairs, to the room of washing. He holds out a hand at the white box.]

Lo! A device that washes clothes for your!